Giraffe Restaurant

Restaurant: Giraffe Restaurant

Cuisine: West Coast/American/Fusion
Last visited: January 7, 2010
Area: White Rock, BC
15053 Marine Dr
Price Range: $30-50

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a

Ambiance: n/a

Overall: n/a

Additional comments:

• Executive chef David Chow (Dubrulle Culinary Institute)
• Fine dining
• Focus on West Coast/seafood
• Familiar to locals and tourists
• Globally inspired menu
• Creative/Fresh/gourmet homemade
• Really delicately executed, attention to detail
• Great view of waterfront
• Small/intimate dining area
• Beautiful intimate patio
• Weekly specials
• Lunch Thurs.-Sat. 11:30am
• Dinner M-Sun. 5:30pm
• Sunday brunch 11am

**Recommendation: Giraffes’ Eggs Benedict, Bacon wrapped Filet with Egg (I didn’t get to try their Belgian Waffles, but I really want to)

The reason why I had to rate everything as “n/a” is because the chef is my best friend’s brother. Therefore, under the circumstances I can’t rate this restaurant with a neutral perspective.

I’ve dined at Giraffe Restaurant for dinner more than a handful of times, but this was my first time for brunch. This brunch was also complimentary, but I would have no problems paying full price for it. It was definitely worth it. The brunch prices are actually really affordable, especially for fine dining...heck it's a bargain! I would be spending the same if I was having brunch at White Spot for half the quality and half the atmosphere (and I really like brunch at White Spot!)

As good as the Giraffe brunch is, I am definitely going to do a dinner review one day. I am lucky enough to have tried almost everything on the menu as well as some custom made appetizers. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything, although I do have my favourites. The menu is more fusion and contemporary, but the atmosphere is more traditional and formal and suitable for couples or small intimate groups.

On the table:

Complimentary Scones

• These are complimentary for everyone during brunch. I could have eaten 3 of them. They’re made in house and they’re so good!
• These aren't the traditional fluffy scones like the ones at Applewood Bakery, but these ones were more like cookies. They were crispy soft and chewy and reminded me of freshly baked oatmeal cookies. I loved them, it was a great way to start brunch! I feel like there was some rhubarb or apple, oatmeal and definitely some cinnamon in them. They were perfectly baked and so delicate. It also came with a really fresh raspberry jam. I do miss that devonshire cream, but these scones are complimentary so I think I'm pushing it. I would pay extra for it though.

**Giraffes’ Egg’s Benedict

• Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, red onion, spinach and a dill hollandaise served with fried nugget potatoes $12
• I was deciding between the Giraffes’ egg’s benedict and the frittata. I went with the benedict because my friend told me that her brother, also the chef, would more likely make the frittata at home than he would the benny. (The hollandaise sauce is very time consuming).
• I was very much into my benny. The ratio of ingredients was perfect and everything was cooked perfectly. Nothing was overpowering and the flavours were all there.
• The red onions were soft, but not to the point of caramelized. It still had a crunch, but wasn't spicy anymore, it added a shallot like flavour that was very delicate.
• My egg was beautifully poached with a very soft middle. It mixed into my hollandaise and was absolutely divine.
• The hollandaise sauce wasn’t really a tangy hollandaise as it was more buttery in flavour. Made with clarified butter it’s very rich and creamy here. The dill was apparent, but very mild and I liked it with the salmon. There was the perfect amount of hollandaise to finish my benny with some on every bite.
• I really liked the crispiness of my English muffin. It sounds like a small thing, but it was enough for me to notice because more often than not restaurants don't toast it enough or it gets too soggy.
• The fried nugget potatoes were great. It was cut nice and thin so they were very crispy. This is what I meant by "attention to detail, everything here is cut to the same size and there's consistency. Therefore the cooking time is perfect for everything. A sign of true professionalism.
  
• I think it was a simple seasoning of course salt and black pepper. (Maybe one additional dried herb, but I couldn't taste it)

**Bacon wrapped Filet with Egg

• Grilled bacon wrapped filet served with a poached egg, tomato, béarnaise and roasted potatoes $16
• Okay, I don’t know what happened, but this was the first time I didn’t try something on someone else’s plate. I think I was way too into my own egg’s benedict did I totally forget to try this dish.
• However, another reason is probably because I have tried a version of this already. See My Holiday Dinners and Feasts - Chef David Chow made something similar to this on Christmas morning. I was lucky to be invited! Yes, we had beef tenderloin for breakfast! The one on Christmas had pyster mushrooms 3 kinds of potatoes for the hash, and the eggs were scrambled.
  
• You don't have to worry about overcooked steaks here, hot you order it is how it arrives. Everything is made in small batches rather than in volume.
  
• The presentation on this is beautiful, and it’s only a 4 ounce steak so it’s not as heavy for brunch as you would think.

Stuffed French Toast

• Mango-apricot Cream Cheese and Strawberry stuffed French toast served with bacon, and warm maple syrup $10.50
• This was the “dessert” for brunch. Since we had it in the end, we passed on the bacon. I am very curious and interested to try it with the bacon though...even though I'm not a fan of bacon...I know, so taboo right?
• The bread is from a bakery up the street. I wasn’t a fan of the crust, beuase it was a bit dry, but I was a fan of how it was used.
• I loved the combination of ingredients, the savoury creamy cheese, the sweet mango-apricot, and the tart strawberries, but I just wish there was a bit more of it. (I’m treading on dangerous grounds here…so I’m a bit scared).
• I would have liked more mango apricot because I couldn’t really taste it. It would be nice to have a little more stuffing to match the thickness of the bread too. I know it looks balanced in the picture, but because the bread was a bit dry it felt like it need more stuffing. Or maybe if the bread was a little more soaked in egg batter that would work. I wouldn't have minded if the egg batter had a touch more vanilla and cinnamon too... =|
• I did love how the cream cheese was warm and melted. It made for a really decadent French toast and the strawberries released their natural sugars under the heat. I really don’t think there were any additional sugars because overall it wasn’t really sweet unless you used the warm maple syrup. Which I did…and it was great!
• This French toast was really good, but just minor things and it would have been over the top. Ohhh maybe even some toasted pecans to give it a crunch? Or even some basil leaves or some finely chopped mint in the middle? Yum!
• We all loved the side of fruit! It was beautifully presented, clean and fresh. Pears, apples, mango, strawberries, grapefruits and oranges. I loved the variety and you get what you’re paying for as you can tell there are no grapes, honey dew, or cantaloupe.

Special Appetizer

• This is not on the menu, but was made especially for us…I know…I’m lucky right?!
• It was a 7 vegetable chili served on roasted potatoes and topped with sour cream.
• I’m not going to comment on this because it was special made, complimentary, and not available on the menu anyways.

Milestones - Brunch Review

Grilled Chicken Corn Hash

Restaurant: Milestones - Brunch Review
Cuisine: American/Global/West Coast
Last visited: October 25, 09

Area: Multiple locations - White Rock
3085-152nd Street in South Point Mall
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Chain restaurant
• Casual and lively atmosphere
• A couple classic breakfast items
• A twist on the traditional, gourmet twists
• Homemade sauces
• In-house smoke mustard ham
  
• Quite hearty options
• $9-18 brunch menu items
• Line-up/crowded at peak hours
• Available Saturday & Sunday only

**Recommendation: Grilled Chicken Corn Hash

We couldn't find a family-owned breakfast/brunch restaurant around the area so we just settled on Milestones. I'm not against chain restaurants or anything, but I usually chose them out of convenience or if they have a new item to try. I usually try and find the independent places.

I am actually quite impressed with the brunch we had at Milestones. They bring traditional breakfast items to new heights and add their own gourmet touches and creativity. Most of the options are quite hearty and the portions are quite big so it fills you up for most of the day. The best thing is that the sauces are homemade - I just wish the breads were too...but that could be asking for too much...?

I would come back again to try the other items or even just the grilled chicken corn hash, that was really good!

On the table:

• Grilled Shrimp California Benedict 2/6
• Spicy house-made avocado salsa, double-smoked bacon & grilled shrimp.

• I was actually disappointed in this because it sounded so good on the menu.
  
• The menu says "large grilled shrimp" but they should have wrote "grilled shrimp". They were pretty small - 2 shrimps on each English muffin. They were also overcooked so they maybe shrank more than they should have.
• The avocado salsa was really weak too. It was very brown, and didn't look fresh. It looked like it was sitting under the heaters for too long, which very well may have been the case. It's house-made and I was expecting diced avocado, lime juice and onions etc., but what I got looked worse than grocery store guacamole. There was no flavor except for some seasoning salt.
• Bacon wasn't crispy either.
• The poached egg on the other hand was really good. The hollandaise is also made in house but it wasn't thick enough. It was very buttery but on the watery side.
  
• Okay this is the shock factor - despite the poor execution the combination of it all actually didn't taste bad! It just could have been so much better if everything had been fresh!
• **Grilled Chicken Corn Hash 5/6
  
• Sliced grilled chicken mixed with potatoes, onions, roasted corn, red peppers and house marinade. Topped with two poached eggs, hollandaise and salsa. Served with Roma tomatoes and grilled herb toast.
• This was very tasty! The house sauce is what makes this dish, it was really good. It's almost like an onion-based barbeque sauce but not as thick and not as bold in flavour. There was a smoky charred flavour and the dried Rosemary and oregano really came out. The fresh salsa was the perfect balance. It was nice and saucy especially after breaking the egg yolks into it. The texture of this hearty dish was just excellent, crunchy, soft, crispy and the flavours: sweet, savoury, tangy and smoky!
• Strawberry French Toast 3/6
  
• Baguette dipped in cinnamon vanilla egg batter, then griddled. Topped with fresh strawberries poached in agave syrup with Mango cream finish.

• This was a really big portion of French toast. It was good, but I think it was too big and I got sick of it fast. Using baguette is a creative idea, but I would have preferred a regular bread or brioche...it would absorb the flavours better.
  
• They should consider making their own bread.
• It was moist but it was swimming in a pool of agave syrup. The syrup was also a combination of agave and a simple sugar reduction. It needed to be more reduced because it was too watery. I did appreciate the generous amount of fresh strawberries though.
• I couldn't taste the mango cream at all and they needed more of it.I could barely see it.
• They called it a" cinnamon vanilla egg batter," but it wasn't as flavourful as it sounds. They used an extract instead of the real vanilla bean so they shouldn't bother advertising the "vanilla" part...what kind of French toast doesn't have cinnamon or vanilla in the mixture anyways?
  

Raffles Cafe

Restaurant: Raffles Cafe
Cuisine: American
Last visited: August 27, 09

Area: Las Vegas - Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Additional comments:

• Open 24 hours
• Menu shows signature items
• Casual dining
• A nice 24 hour restaurant (not fast food 24 hours)
• Offers breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner/late night
  
• Tropical (borderline tacky) decor
• Huge portions
  

**Recommendation: Banana and Pecan Stuffed French Toast, Raffles Signature Dessert Burger and Exotic Coconut Pancakes which I didn't order, but have heard rave reviews about.

I only tried 2 things on the menu so I don't think it's fair to give it a full review. Therefore I'm only going to focus on the things that I ordered - which were freakin delicious!! I need to give them their own review. I went at 4am and I didn't have my camera on me, which I totally regret because I can't seem to find a picture of these anywhere. The pictures would speak for themselves - you'd definitely want to book your tickets to Sin City if you saw the pics. I hope my description and review does these 2 items justice. For a 24 hour restaurant the chef is wide awake, because the food is fresh, unique, and there was even presentation - which I don't expect from a 24 hour diner.

On the table:

• **Banana and Pecan Stuffed French Toast 6/6
  
• This french toast was soooo soft and fluffy! It was almost like they used brioche bread. It was thick slices of brioche bread dipped in an egg batter and lightly fried. Then sandwiches between the slices of bread was the thick creamy custard! It was soo decadent and indulgent! Really rich and heavy so you can't eat it by yourself - such a treat! The bananas are cut up in slices, so not mashed and they're slightly cooked and warm and then placed on top of the french toast with toasted pecans. The whole thing is sprinkled with icing sugar.
  
• This is definitely a dessert! It's one of their signature items and it rightfully earns a spot because it's so amazing. We ordered it with chocolate and vanilla ice cream - it's good with or without ice cream - it's just amazing. The custard is thick enough to not ooze out on it's own, but it oozes out when you poke your fork into it. I'm drooling...
• **Raffles Signature Dessert Burger 6/6
  
• (I don't think it's the official name, but I can't find the full menu)
  
• This is another signature item! Thank god I remember the description because I can't find it anywhere. This was such a creative dessert and it really deserves attention. Great concept! Kudos to the chef for creating it. Very well executed.
• The dessert came in a mini burger - the size of a slider. It totally looked like a beef slider. The "bun" was made of a homemade sesame pound cake. The "cheese" was a thin slice of apple flavoured jello (at least that's what it tasted like). The "burger patty" was some sort of frozen chocolate mousse. I think there was also a hint of raspberry coulis for ketchup.
  
• Wow! This was really really good. It held together really well and didn't crumbly apart or anything. It was nice and sturdy like an actually burger. It wasn't even messy to eat. The apple cheese thing was soo unique - I've never had anything like this. Teh combination of flavours worked really well and the pound cake was delicious! I'm glad the portion was a bit smaller because it was just enough to satisfy. So impressed with this dessert coming from a 24 hour restaurant.
• It also came with "fries" - which were deep fried pastries that looked exactly like fries. They were dusted with icing sugar and it came with "ketchup" or raspberry coulis for dipping. These "fries" were not good though - they tasted like nothing. They help in the presentation and complete the concept and that's about it.
• Exotic Coconut Pancakes
• I didn't order these but I hear really good things about them. I'm ordering them for sure next time.
  

NU Restaurant + Lounge

Complimentary Mini Scone, Raspberry Jam & Hot Chocolate

Restaurant: Nu Restaurant + Lounge - Brunch review
Cuisine: West Coast/Pacfic Northwest/French
Last visited: June 6, 09
Area: Vancouver - Downtown
1661 Granville Street
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Great view, contemporary and posh decor and furniture (futuristic/space-like/groovy feel)
• Relaxed atmosphere
• Creative dishes - West coast flavours, seasonal menus
• Housemade gelato & sorbets (seasonal/changing flavours)
• Complimentary mini scone with raspberry jam & hot chocolate for brunch starter
• Live Jazz music for Sunday brunch
• Free parking

**Recommendation: Dungeness crab benedict, Brioche French Toast

I've been to Nu a few times, twice for dinner and once for brunch (on my birthday). This entry will focus specifically on their brunch. I thought everything on the whole was really good. However they could have done a better balancing the sweet and savoury aspects of each dish.

On the table:

• Okanagan Apple & Pear Fritters with maple yogurt 4/6
  
• I liked this as a dessert. It had a cinnamon sugar sprinkle and a light batter which was nice, so I felt as though I was actually eating apples and pears rather than just batter. The yogurt was a nice complimen t too. Great presentation.
  
• Smoked salmon benedict 5/6
• This was really nice. The eggs were poached to a medium, if I was dining alone I would have requested it to be a bit slighter on the undercooked side. It came with a side salad.
• **Dungeness crab benedict 6/6
  
• This was one of my favourites. You get a nice amount of crab for what you pay for. A gourmet benedict
• Brie & Black Truffle Omelette 2/6
  
• Nothing too spectacular. I probably wouldn't order it again, although there was nothing wrong with it. Lacked a bit of flavour or felt like something was missing with the texture.
  
• **Brioche French toast 6/6
  
• This was another favourite! Brioche French toast served with caramelized pear wedges. A nice amount of pecans pieces - not crumbs - served on top! The maple butter and syrup was a great touch. Very rich and very moist. We enjoyed this as a dessert. Loved the texture of soft brioche with crunchy pecans. I think it would have been extra tasty is they spiced the pecans with one or two seasonings just to add another dimension in flavour.
• Tomato & red pepper frittata 2/6
• Good, but there's better on the menu. It came with a lentil and chick pea stew - tomato based stew. The stew was meh...but was a unique side to the frittata.
• Mimosa
• Standard, nice and refreshing with the fritters.
• Mint Syrup
  
• Nice complement to the fruit salad.

• Dessert:
• Chocolate souffle 4/6
  
• This isn't on the menu for the summer though. They replaced it with a flourless chocolate cake. This chocolate souffle was coked halfway so the inside was still gooey and lava like. Very rich and moist. It was served with a coconut gelato, which is a must otherwise its hard to finish it alone...it's really decadent.
• Frozen orange mousse 5/6
  
• Perfect for the summer! Nice, light and refreshing. Really unique dessert. Advice: with every bite of the frozen mousse make sure you dip it into the passion fruit coulis it comes with. That is really the part that tops off this frozen orange mousse. Really good with a Mimosa!
• Sorbets: They change all the time. Made in house too. About 7 flavours at a time. We had their red current (which was the fav), the pink grapefruit, and green apple. All were good, and REAL fruit flavoured!